This is a text-only version of an article first published on Thursday, 23 May 2019. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
To celebrate three decades of serving the homeless from its base in Magdalen Road, Oxford, The Porch held an open day recently. The event was to thank local residents living around Magdalen Road and Essex Street for their support to the charity over the years.
In the evening a special dinner party was held for the homeless. Founded by the All Saints Sisters of the Poor in 1986, the day centre has become a place of welcome, friendship and encouragement for hundreds of homeless men and women over the years.
As one of the members puts it: "I come for the two hot meals that are served every day.
Over the years I have built up a network of friends at The Porch and I now come here for company.
Loneliness is something that I live in fear of and something that they help with a lot. "The Porch is open six days a week all year round.
Without its services, many homeless or vulnerably housed people would be struggling to find a way out of homelessness.
Each person attending is enrolled as a member, which aims to give them a feeling of belonging as well as ownership and an influence on how things are run.
To support the Porch click here.
The open day at the Porch